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Mothers Daughters Wives

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Gmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

capo on the 3rd fret. 
[Chorus]
The Gfirst time it was fathers, the last time it was Dsons
And Gin between your husbands marched aCway with drums and gDuns
But you Gnever thought to question you just Cwent on with your Glives
'Cause Call they'd taught you who to be was Ammothers, Cdaughters, DwiveDsus4s D  
[Verse 1]
You Gbarely just remember the tears your mother Dshed
As she Gsat and read the paper through the Clists and lists of Ddead
And the Ggold frame held the photograph your Cmother kissed each Gnight
And the Cdoor frame held the shocked and silent Amstranger Cfrom the DfighDsus4t D  
[Verse 2]
And Gtwenty-one years later you had children of your Down
The Gtrumpet sounded once again and the Csoldier boys were Dgone
And you Gmade their guns and drove their trucks and you Ctended to their Gwounds
At Cnight you kissed their photographs and Amprayed for Csafe DreturDsus4nsD  
[Chorus]
The Gfirst time it was fathers, the last time it was Dsons
And Gin between your husbands marched aCway with drums and gDuns
But yoGu never thought to question you just Cwent on with your Glives
'Cause Call they'd taught you who to be was Ammothers, Cdaughters, DwiveDsus4s D  
[Verse 3]
And Gwhen it was all over you had to learn Dagain
To Gbe just wives and mothers though you'd Cdone the work of Dmen
So you Gworked to help the needy and you Cnever trod on Gtoes
And the Cphoto on the mantelpiece struck a Amhappy Cfamily DposeDsus4  D  
[Verse 4]
But your Gdaughters grew to women and your little boys to Dmen
And you Gwished that you were dreaming when the Ccall-up came Dagain
But you Gproudly smiled and held your tears as they Cproudly waved good Gbye
But the Cphotos on the mantelpieces it Amalways Cmade you DcryDsus4  D  
[Chorus] 
The Gfirst time it was fathers, the last time it was Dsons
And iGn between your husbands marched aCway with drums and gDuns
But yoGu never thought to question you just Cwent on with your Glives
'Cause Call they'd taught you who to be was Ammothers, Cdaughters, DwiveDsus4sD  
[Verse 5]
And Gnow your growing older and in time the photos Dfade
In Gwidowhood you sit back and rCeflect on the Dparade
And the Gpassing of your memories as your Cdaughters change their Glives
Seeing Cmore to their existences than just Ammothers, Cdaughters, DwiveDsus4sD  
[Chorus] 
The Gfirst time it was fathers, the last time it was Dsons
And iGn between your husbands marched aCway with drums and gDuns
But yoGu never thought to question you just Cwent on with your Glives
'Cause Call they'd taught you who to be was Ammothers, Cdaughters, DwiveDsus4s D  
And you Gnever thought to question you just Cwent on with your Glives 
'Cause Call they'd taught you who to be was Ammothers, D7daughters, wGives

All chords in this song (6)

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Mothers Daughters Wives

by The Corries

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 3 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

Dsus4

capo on the 3rd fret.

[Chorus]

G D

The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons

G C D

And in between your husbands marched away with drums and guns

G C G

But you never thought to question you just went on with your lives

C Am C D Dsus4 D

'Cause all they'd taught you who to be was mothers, daughters, wives

[Verse 1]

G D

You barely just remember the tears your mother shed

G C D

As she sat and read the paper through the lists and lists of dead

G C G

And the gold frame held the photograph your mother kissed each night

C Am C D Dsus4 D

And the door frame held the shocked and silent stranger from the fight

[Verse 2]

G D

And twenty-one years later you had children of your own

G C D

The trumpet sounded once again and the soldier boys were gone

G C G

And you made their guns and drove their trucks and you tended to their wounds

C Am C D Dsus4 D

At night you kissed their photographs and prayed for safe returns

[Chorus]

G D

The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons

G C D

And in between your husbands marched away with drums and guns

G C G

But you never thought to question you just went on with your lives

C Am C D Dsus4 D

'Cause all they'd taught you who to be was mothers, daughters, wives

[Verse 3]

G D

And when it was all over you had to learn again

G C D

To be just wives and mothers though you'd done the work of men

G C G

So you worked to help the needy and you never trod on toes

C Am C D Dsus4 D

And the photo on the mantelpiece struck a happy family pose

[Verse 4]

G D

But your daughters grew to women and your little boys to men

G C D

And you wished that you were dreaming when the call-up came again

G C G

But you proudly smiled and held your tears as they proudly waved good bye

C Am C D Dsus4 D

But the photos on the mantelpieces it always made you cry

[Chorus]

G D

The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons

G C D

And in between your husbands marched away with drums and guns

G C G

But you never thought to question you just went on with your lives

C Am C D Dsus4 D

'Cause all they'd taught you who to be was mothers, daughters, wives

[Verse 5]

G D

And now your growing older and in time the photos fade

G C D

In widowhood you sit back and reflect on the parade

G C G

And the passing of your memories as your daughters change their lives

C Am C D Dsus4 D

Seeing more to their existences than just mothers, daughters, wives

[Chorus]

G D

The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons

G C D

And in between your husbands marched away with drums and guns

G C G

But you never thought to question you just went on with your lives

C Am C D Dsus4 D

'Cause all they'd taught you who to be was mothers, daughters, wives

G C G

And you never thought to question you just went on with your lives

C Am D7 G

'Cause all they'd taught you who to be was mothers, daughters, wives

About Mothers Daughters Wives Chords by The Corries

Learn how to play Mothers Daughters Wives by The Corries with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Mothers Daughters Wives chords”, “Mothers Daughters Wives guitar chords”, or “The Corries Mothers Daughters Wives chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Mothers Daughters Wives chords and for experienced players who want accurate Mothers Daughters Wives lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, D, C, Am, Dsus4, D7.

FAQ — Mothers Daughters Wives by The Corries

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What key is "Mothers Daughters Wives" in?

The chords for "Mothers Daughters Wives" show the original chord names (including G, D, C, Am, Dsus4, D7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.